dǎzhāohu: 打招呼 - To Greet, To Say Hello, To Give a Heads-up

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• Summary: 打招呼 (dǎ zhāohu) is a fundamental Chinese verb that means “to greet” or “to say hello.” More than just a specific phrase, it describes the social action of acknowledging someone's presence, which can range from a simple nod or wave to a formal verbal greeting. Understanding how and when to 打招呼 is key to navigating Chinese social etiquette. It also carries a common secondary meaning of “to give a heads-up” or “to let someone know beforehand,” making it a versatile and essential term for learners to master.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): dǎ zhāohu
• Part of Speech: Verb-Object Phrase (often functions as a separable verb)
• HSK Level: HSK 3
• Concise Definition: To greet someone or to notify someone in advance.
• In a Nutshell: 打招呼 (dǎ zhāohu) isn't the greeting itself, but the act of greeting. You don't say “dǎ zhāohu!” to someone. Instead, you use it to talk about greeting. For example, you can say, “I saw my teacher and greeted her.” It's the “greeted” part that is 打招呼. It emphasizes the social ritual of acknowledgement, which is a cornerstone of politeness in Chinese culture.

• 打 (dǎ): While its most common meaning is “to hit” or “to strike,” here it functions as a highly versatile verb prefix indicating “to perform an action.” Think of it like “to make” or “to do” in phrases like `打电话 (dǎ diànhuà)` (to make a phone call) or `打车 (dǎ chē)` (to hail a taxi).
• 招 (zhāo): This character means “to beckon” or “to wave,” often with the hand. It contains the hand radical (扌).
• 呼 (hū): This character means “to call out” or “to shout.” It contains the mouth radical (口).

The characters combine to create a vivid image: performing the action (打) of waving with your hand (招) and calling out with your mouth (呼). This perfectly encapsulates the physical and verbal act of greeting someone.

In Chinese culture, 打招呼 is more than just a casual pleasantry; it's a fundamental act of maintaining social harmony and showing respect. It's the glue that holds daily interactions together in communities, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Compared to the Western concept of “saying hi,” which is often optional, consistently failing to 打招呼 to acquaintances in China can be interpreted as being arrogant, rude, or even having a problem with that person. It's a small but constant way to acknowledge a person's presence and affirm your shared social space. This is especially important when interacting with elders, teachers, or superiors, where a timely greeting is a sign of proper upbringing and respect. The act reinforces 关系 (guānxi) by demonstrating that you see and value the other person.

打招呼 is used in countless daily situations, and its form changes depending on the context and formality.

• As “To Greet”: This is its primary and most common meaning. It can be verbal or non-verbal.
  • Informal: Seeing a neighbor in the hallway, you might nod and say “吃了没?” (chī le méi? - Have you eaten?) or simply “嗨” (hāi). This action is 打招呼.
  • Formal: At a business meeting, you would 打招呼 by shaking hands, bowing slightly, and saying “你好” (nǐ hǎo) while exchanging business cards.
• As “To Give a Heads-up” / “To Notify”: This is a very common secondary meaning that often confuses learners. It means to inform someone of something in advance, usually as a courtesy.
  • If you're planning to leave a party early, you should “跟主人打个招呼” (gēn zhǔrén dǎ ge zhāohu) — “let the host know” before you slip out.
  • If a manager is going to implement a new policy, they might 打招呼 with the team beforehand to prepare them for the change.

• Example 1:
  • 我每天早上在电梯里见到邻居都会打招呼。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang zài diàntī lǐ jiàndào línjū dōu huì dǎ zhāohu.
  • English: Every morning when I see my neighbors in the elevator, I always greet them.
  • Analysis: This sentence describes a habitual action of greeting, highlighting its importance in daily community life.
• Example 2:
  • 他看见老师，马上站起来打招呼。
  • Pinyin: Tā kànjiàn lǎoshī, mǎshàng zhàn qǐlái dǎ zhāohu.
  • English: He saw the teacher and immediately stood up to greet him.
  • Analysis: This shows 打招呼 as an act of respect, especially towards figures of authority like a teacher.
• Example 3:
  • 你去跟新来的同事打个招呼吧。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ qù gēn xīn lái de tóngshì dǎ ge zhāohu ba.
  • English: Why don't you go say hello to the new colleague?
  • Analysis: This is a common suggestion or command. Note the use of “个 (ge),” which softens the phrase and treats the “greeting” as a single, countable action. This is a characteristic of separable verbs.
• Example 4:
  • 我们昨天在街上遇到了，但是他没跟我打招呼。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen zuótiān zài jiē shàng yùdào le, dànshì tā méi gēn wǒ dǎ zhāohu.
  • English: We ran into each other on the street yesterday, but he didn't greet me.
  • Analysis: This shows the negative form and implies a potential social issue – not being greeted can be seen as a slight.
• Example 5:
  • 他只是对我点了点头，算是打招呼了。
  • Pinyin: Tā zhǐshì duì wǒ diǎn le diǎn tóu, suànshì dǎ zhāohu le.
  • English: He just nodded at me, which counted as a greeting.
  • Analysis: This perfectly illustrates that 打招呼 can be a non-verbal action. `点头 (diǎn tóu)` is a form of 打招呼.
• Example 6:
  • 如果你明天要请假，最好现在就跟老板打个招呼。
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ nǐ míngtiān yào qǐngjià, zuìhǎo xiànzài jiù gēn lǎobǎn dǎ ge zhāohu.
  • English: If you're going to ask for leave tomorrow, you'd better give the boss a heads-up now.
  • Analysis: A clear example of the secondary meaning: “to notify” or “to inform beforehand.”
• Example 7:
  • 这件事很重要，我得先跟各个部门打个招呼。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiàn shì hěn zhòngyào, wǒ děi xiān gēn gège bùmén dǎ ge zhāohu.
  • English: This matter is very important; I need to touch base with all the departments first.
  • Analysis: Here, “打招呼” is used in a business context to mean pre-informing or getting everyone on the same page before taking action.
• Example 8:
  • 你见到他了吗？打招呼了吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ jiàndào tā le ma? Dǎ zhāohu le ma?
  • English: Did you see him? Did you say hello?
  • Analysis: A simple, common question checking if the social obligation of greeting was performed.
• Example 9:
  • 他一进门就热情地跟大家打招呼。
  • Pinyin: Tā yī jìn mén jiù rèqíng de gēn dàjiā dǎ zhāohu.
  • English: As soon as he entered, he enthusiastically greeted everyone.
  • Analysis: Shows how adverbs like `热情地 (rèqíng de)` can modify the action of 打招呼.
• Example 10:
  • 我要先走了，已经跟主人打过招呼了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ yào xiān zǒu le, yǐjīng gēn zhǔrén dǎ guo zhāohu le.
  • English: I have to leave now; I've already said my goodbyes to the host.
  • Analysis: Using the particle `过 (guo)` indicates the completion of the action of “notifying” or “saying goodbye.” This is another example of the “heads-up” meaning.

• Mistake 1: Using it as a greeting.
  • A beginner might walk up to someone and say, “打招呼!” This is incorrect. It's like walking up to someone in English and saying “To greet!”
  • Incorrect: (To a person) 打招呼！
  • Correct: (To a person) 你好！(Nǐ hǎo!) or 嗨！(Hāi!)
  • Correct Usage: (Talking about the action) 我刚才跟他打招呼了。(Wǒ gāngcái gēn tā dǎ zhāohu le.) - “I just greeted him.”
• Mistake 2: Confusing 打招呼 (dǎ zhāohu) with 问好 (wènhǎo).
  • While both relate to greeting, they are not interchangeable.
  • 打招呼 (dǎ zhāohu) is a direct greeting you give to someone you see in person (verbally or non-verbally).
  • 问好 (wènhǎo) means “to send regards” or “to ask after someone's well-being” on behalf of yourself or someone else. You use it when the person is not present.
  • Example: 请替我向你父母问好。(Qǐng tì wǒ xiàng nǐ fùmǔ wènhǎo.) - “Please send my regards to your parents.” You would never say “替我向你父母打招呼”.

• 你好 (nǐ hǎo): The most famous and standard greeting phrase. It is a way to 打招呼.
• 问候 (wènhòu): A more formal, often written, term for “to greet” or “to send one's kind regards.” It's less about a quick, daily interaction.
• 问好 (wènhǎo): To send one's regards to someone who is not present.
• 见面 (jiànmiàn): To meet up. The act of meeting someone, which is always initiated with a 打招呼.
• 点头 (diǎn tóu): To nod one's head. A common non-verbal method of 打招呼.
• 挥手 (huī shǒu): To wave one's hand. Another common non-verbal way to 打招呼.
• 嗨 (hāi): The loanword “hi.” A very casual, informal way to 打招呼, common among younger people and friends.
• 通知 (tōngzhī): To notify or to inform. This is a more formal synonym for the secondary meaning of 打招呼.